Monday, August 7, 2017

“Pineapple” - a novel in verse by Joe Taylor

I don’t think
I’ve ever read a novel in rhyming verse form, but that’s what Pineapple
by Joe Taylor. It’s also a satire, a
commentary, a mystery, a comedy, a story (or stories) within a story, and
several other things I probably missed.

Pineapple is the story of a group of people working
at present-day Los Alamos. When they’re not thinking about organizational
politics and the history of the place (the ghosts of Robert Oppenheimer,
General Groves, and the atomic bomb seem to hang over everything), they’re
usually thinking about sex. If you want a politically correct account of how
people think about sex, this isn’t the work for you.

And then threats
begin to occur, usually in the form of anonymous and rather nasty valentines.
Then the body of a young woman turns up, and cause o of death is determined to
be suffocation.

More bodies
begin to turn up, scattered all over the countryside. Our group of Los Alamos
friends begins to consider the possibility of aliens, but the cause is closer
to home – and perhaps more terrifying. Perhaps because it’s in verse from, the
story demands a very close reading to keep track of the various characters and
the narrative itself.

Joe Taylor

Literary and
historical allusions abound, and not only those connected to the history of Los
Alamos. From the beginning one has the sense of reading a kind of Shakespeare
play, and it’s no coincidence that the opera “Otelo” by Verdi plays a role in
the story.

Taylor received
a PhD degree from the University of Florida. He teaches at the University of
West Alabama, where he’s served as editor and publisher of Livingston Press.
He’s the author of Oldcat
& Mrs. Puss: A Book of Days for You and Me and three short story
collections, and has edited several short story anthologies.

Pineapple is a fascinating romp that moves through
rhyme to tell a very contemporary story.

Poetry at Work

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Professional writer exploring faith and culture, life and work; happily married to Janet, the love of my life; father of two grown sons. Award-winning speechwriter and communication consultant. I am an editor for TweetSpeak Poetry and the author of the novels "Dancing Priest," "A Light Shining," and "Dancing King," and the non-fiction book "Poetry at Work."